FTC calls out Google's Chrome over Do Not Track

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Liebowitz this week singled out Google for not adopting "Do Not Track," the privacy feature that lets consumers opt out of online tracking by Web sites and advertisers.

In an interview Monday with Politico, Liebowitz called out Google for not supporting Do Not Track in its Chrome browser.

Noting that Do Not Track had gathered momentum, Liebowitz said, "Apple just announced they're going to put it in their Safari browser. So that gives you Apple, Microsoft and Mozilla. Really the only holdout -- the only company that hasn't evolved as much as we would like on this -- is Google."

Do Not Track has been promoted by the FTC and by privacy advocates including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), as the best way to help consumers protect their privacy.

The technology requires sites and advertisers to recognize incoming requests from browsers as an opt-out demand by the user. The information is transmitted as part of the HTTP header.

As Liebowitz said, Microsoft and Mozilla have added Do Not Track header support to their Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) and Firefox 4 browsers. While Apple hasn't confirmed that the next version of Safari will include Do Not Track, developers have reported finding the feature in early editions bundled with Mac OS X 10.7, aka "Lion," the upgrade slated to ship this summer.

That leaves Google's Chrome and Opera's browser on the outside. But neither plans to implement Do Not Track anytime soon.

"Such features could lead to better privacy but potentially contribute to a false sense of security," said Thomas Ford, a spokesman for Opera. "There are also some complications that arise when Web sites do not honor the Do Not Track feature. As such, we are exploring the area but have yet to make any announcements."

Chrome has its own ideas about privacy, and also won't commit to Do Not Track.

"We continue to offer the Keep My Opt-Outs plug-in for Chrome ... which already works to permanently opt users out of most ad profiling," a Google spokesman said in an email reply to questions.

The Keep My Opt-Outs plug-in blocks targeted ads produced by about 60 companies and ad networks that hew to self-regulation efforts by the online advertising industry. Currently available only for Chrome, Google has said it will release similar tools for Firefox and IE "fairly soon."

Google declined to comment on whether it is considering adding Do Not Track header support to Chrome, but seemingly left the door ajar. "We're encouraged that the standards bodies are working on these different header approaches, and will continue to be involved closely," the spokesman said.

On Tuesday, Google also declined to comment on Liebowitz's calling Google the Do Not Track holdout.

The company may face a decision sooner than later, said Jonathan Mayer, a student fellow at Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society (CIS). Mayer is one of three researchers who crafted the newest iteration of the Do Not Track technology.

"When Apple follows, they're going to check Do Not Track into WebKit, and then Google will face a choice," said Mayer, talking about the open-source browser engine that powers both Safari and Chrome. "Are they going to expose the feature or not?"

If Google decides to disable WebKit's Do Not Track feature when it builds Chrome, the company would repeat the mistake made by the once-dominant Netscape, which nine years ago first offered pop-up ad blocking, then removed it.

Asa Dotzler, Mozilla's director of community development, made the same observation earlier this week when in a post to his personal blog he argued that Chrome's lack of Do Not Track support meant the "team is bowing to pressure from Google's advertising business and that's a real shame."

Mayer didn't hesitate to call out Google.

"I think it borders on deceptive," Mayer said of Chrome's plug-in. "It's not opt-out for privacy, it's opt-out of tracking ads. They're saying, 'We won't show you the ads, but we'll still collect the data.'"

Google will likely bow to the building pressure and support Do Not Track, predicted Mayer. But he understands the company's current position, even though he doesn't agree with it.

"Google is in a particular awkward spot," Mayer said. "Microsoft could sort of get away with supporting Do Not Track without saying what it means to its advertising business, but Google is a different story. They have to have a pretty good idea what [Do Not Track] means for the company."

The bulk of Google's revenue comes from its online advertising business, which could be affected by Do Not Track.

"I hope they have a plan, because the pressure's mounting," said Mayer. "It's not clear what the internal decision-making process is. Some inside Google think it's a good idea, other thing it's a bad idea. [Do Not Track] is getting a lot of attention within Google, but it's not clear who has the authority today to say, 'Here's our policy.' They haven't spoken with one voice."

The picture may be clearer after the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), the primary standards body for the Web, meets at Princeton University to discuss Do Not Track.

"There we might get a better sense of whether they're ready to proceed with Do Not Track," said Mayer of the April 28-29 W3C workshop.

In preparation for the event, seven Google employees have authored a position paper ( download PDF ) on Do Not Track.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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